One year on and the company is proud to announce its award of a contract with the US Government Army Futures Command, Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center (CCDC-SC) located in Natick, MA, funded by the Foreign Technology (and Science) Assessment Support (FTAS) and the Foreign Comparative Test (FCT) programs.  The contract entails a series of ground-based assessments followed by live flight trials, giving the Government a first-hand opportunity to recognise the benefits that ATAX can offer the warfighter.

Director of Sales Mark Hennessy said, “Our investment into our range of aerial delivery equipment, followed by the award of the contract and a separate Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with CCDC-SC demonstrates IrvinGQ’s long-term commitment to enhancing aerial delivery mission effectiveness and safety, delivering real benefits to users”.

ATAX is a Modular, Rapid-Rig/De-Rig, Aerial Delivery System that employs Soft Landing Airbags instead of the traditional energy-dissipating materials (that are used in the rigging of equipment).   The reusable Airbags offer a number of significant advantages over traditional methods, they; reduce load preparation and rigging times by eliminating consumable rigging materials; significantly reduce the shock forces imparted into the cargo load; and facilitate a true drive-on drive-off capability.

CCDC-SC Director, Arial Delivery Directorate, Richard Benney said, “The CCDC-SC thanks the CCDC Global Technology Office (FTAS) and OSD Comparative Technology Office (FCT) for their support of this project. A team of airdrop SMEs have executed a series of ground tests with the ATAX platform on an instrumented C-17 roller test facility and also executed a series of tower drop tests in May/Jun19 at Natick. The initial review of this data has been positive and will be used in a proposed test plan (PTP) submission to the USAF for expected approval of future live airdrop tests (likely in the Jan/Feb20 timeframe). CCDC-SC, with IrvinGQ is collaborating and sharing data with numerous Allied Nations and believes that the ATAX is a contender in the current program of record known as RRDAS (Rapid Rigging Derigging Airdrop System) being executed by US Army Product Manager Force Sustainment Systems (PM FSS) at Natick.”